Colored glass frit feeder



INVENTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet l lll/1 l /1 /l/l/l/lIl ATTORNEYS A. G. LAUCK COLORED GLASS FRIT FEEDER March l, 1960 Filed Dec. 15, 1955 A. G. I AucK 2,926,458

3 Sheets-Sheef 2 COLORED GLASS 4FRI'I FEDER March l, 1960 Filed Dec. 13, 1955 K M@ www H A R mL. 1Y0 m A March 1, 1960 A. G. LAucK COLORED sLAss FEIT FEEDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed'DeG. 13, 1955 .EK m,

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Y Y 2,926,458l` 4 j coLoRlsn GLASS FRIT FEEDER Y Albert G. Lauck, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio Application December 13, 195s, serial No. 552,869 `4 claims. (cro-s4) `for conveying the powdered o'rrgranulated` color material,

su'ch means in its preferred form comprising a screw conveyor with a doublethread 'or rib for vinsuring a posiltive feed of the material;

A further object of the invention is to provide novel means for distributing the color material according to a predetermined pattern of distributionoverzthe surface of the molten glass to which it is delivered. Such means includes water cooled baflies positioned over and adjacent to the molten glass.

An object of the invention attained by the use of such water cooled bailles is to overcome a difficulty which has been encountered in connection with the use of bailles adjacent the molten glass. The high temperature to which the baffles and color material Vare subjected results in a softening or partial fusing of the powdered material causing it to stick together and accumulate onfthe bales, thus clogging the apparatus. present invention the baflles are in the form of pipes through which arcooling fluid is circulated thereby overcoming such difficulty. v i

Further objects of the invention and the exact nature thereof will appear more fully hereinafter in connection with the following detailed description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a part sectional elevational view of the apparatus;

Fig. 42 is an elevational view with parts broken away and parts in section, showing the baiiles and their mounting, the section being at the line 2-2 on Fig.v 3;

Fig. 3 is asection at the line 3--3 on Fig. 1

Fig. 4 is a section at the line 4-4 on Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an elevational view of the parts shown in Fig. 2, looking in a direction at right angles to that of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. l, the apparatus is designed for feeding glass coloring material or frit in granulated or powdered form from ahopper or container and distributing it over the surface of molten glass 11 flowing through a channel 12. The channel extends lengthwise through In accordance 4with thel i United States Patent- '.dered material and `coarser material in granulated or Y larger particle form. With a spiral or screw feeder of Yinner -walls 34E parallel .with and spaced inwardly from the walls 34 thereby providing vertical channels 34b a forehearth 13 of the glass melting and refining tank of a continuous type furnace. The 'hopper 10 is supported on a frame 14 which also provides a support forjplatforms 15 and 16. A screw conveyor mechanism 17 vis mounted on the platform 16, such mechanism including a spiral or screw conveyor 18. The conveyor is driven by an electric motor 19 having driving connection with the conveyor through a speed reduction unit 20 mounted on the platform 15. Driving connections include a sprocket chain 21 and gears for driving the conveyor shaft 22. The spiral conveyor is mounted in a tubular casing or conduit 23. The coloring material is'fed by gravity from the hopper 10 through a'spout 24 to the screw conveyor. The rate of feed is adjustably controlled by an adjustable gate 25.

Y2,926,458 Patented Mar. 1, 1960 ,.In practice, the coloring material or frit'asvsupplied commercially, usually consists of a mixture of finely powusual form there is slippage between the material and the screw which interferes with positivel and uniform feeding of the material. In the present invention the spiral feeder comprises a double thread construction including separate threads or ribs 26 and 27 (Fig. 2). ThisV double thread overcomes the difficulty and insures substantially positive y and uniform feeding of the material and also has a'mixing-action tending to remix coarser and finer particlesof the material which have become segregated. .l

The' delivery end of the spiral feeder is directly over the glass 11 flowing through the forehearth. .The color -material is delivered from the spiral feeder to a surrounding compartment 30 or chamber and drops by gravkto which is also fixed a downwardly extending rock arm 3S ,foradjusting the baffle rotatively about the axis ofthe shaft 37. The baille is held in adjusted position by` a clamping screw 39 andl Wingnut 42. The screw is attached to therock arm andk extends through a slot 40 formed in a strip 41 attachedtothe wall 34. The lower baffles 36 are also individually adjustable, the vadjusting' .means being substantially like that just described in connection with the upper b ale except that the rock arms 43 are extended upwardly/'from the rock shafts.

he hood 3,2l enclosing the bales 35 and 36, include through which air is circulated as presently described.

VBetween the inner walls 34a is a compartment orV channel 359' containing the baflles 35 and 36.

Directly beneath the hood 32 and forming a continuation thereof is a rectangular section 45 providing part of a cooling system for an additional series of bales 46 in the form of pipes mounted in the section 45. This section may berintegrally united with the hood section 32 by means of spot welding'45a (Fig. 4). The section 45 i is open at top and bottom,'thus providing anopen channel 45h forming a continuation of the channel 35a, therel by Vproviding an open passageway through which the color material, distributed by, the baflles, drops to the surface of the molten glass 11 directly beneath.

. The structure in which the baffles are mounted is supported on refractory blocks 47 mounted on the forehearth 13. This structure is adjustable up and down and for leveling by means of adjusting screws 49 threaded through `angle bars 48v attached to the end walls Sil of t the section 45. Water orV other cooling fluid is .circulated through the pipes 46 for keeping `the temperature down and thereby preventing the powdered color material from softening and adhering to the bales and accumulating thereon. The pipes 46 open into cooling chambers 5l formed in the sides of the section 45. The water enters y through an inlet 52 and after passing'through the pipes 46 is discharged through an overflow pipe 53.

Y A downward draft of air is applied tothe color mate-V rial as it is discharged from the spiral conveyor. The

air-under pressure is supplied through a pipe 55 which `opens into' the chamber 30 at'a point above the discharge end of the spiral conveyor. The. air passes downward through the channels 35a, 45b and assists in carrying the powdered color material downward and distributing it over thesurface of the. glass. Air under pressure c g maenner .Y l w is also supplied through lateral pipes v56 which open into the side channels 34b and kis discharged through openings 57 in the side walls 34. This air pressure counteracts any tendency fo'r upward drafts of air through the channels 34h. i

scope of my invention.

I claim:

i operatively connected with the hood, a series of hori- 1. The combination of aV forehearth channel of a glass furnace through which molten glass is caused to ow, feeder means for discharging glass coloring material in a nely divided form at a discharge outlet spaced above the glass in said channel, distributing means interposed between said discharge outlet and the glass surface for spreading the discharged material before said material reaches the molten glasssurface, said distributing means including a plurality of baffles arranged in superposed horizontal rows at different levels with the baffles in each row parallel with and in staggered relation to those at adjoining levels in an inyerted V formation, the baies having downwardly flared walls in inverted V form in cross-section for guiding and spreading the material, means for pivotally mounting said baflles, and adjusting Vmeans individual to the baies forsetting the baflles to elect distribution of the material over the width of the forehearth channel, each said adjusting means comprising a rocker arm means connected to each baille mounting means and means for locking the rocker arm means in adjusted position.

2, The combination deiined in claim 1, including means for directing air under pressure downwardly against the coloring material discharged by the feeder means at its discharge outlet for impelling said material n of air, means for directing air under pressure into said `air channels, means for feeding said colorant material into the hood, said means including a discharge outlet zontal baffles interposed between said discharge outlet and the glass in the forehearth channel, means for pivotally mounting said bafes to extend between said inner walls of the hood, said series comprising baffles at different levels and arranged in inverted V formation with all of the batiles parallel and with the uppermost baffle directly beneath the said discharge opening so that the material as it descends is progressively spread over a greater area by the batiles at each succeeding level, adjusting means individual to each of the bafes of said series for rotatively adjusting them, each adjusting means comprising a rocker arm means connected -to each ,baffle mounting means, means for locking the rocker arm means in adjusted position, a downwardly extended portion of the hood extending below said batiles and air channels, supplemental baies mounted in said extended hood por tion below the series of horizontal baies, the individual supplemental baies being pipes extending transversely of said hood, said extended portion of the hood having inner and outer walls spaced to provide cooling chambers opening into said pipes to form a cooling system, and means providing inlet and outlet channels through which a cooling fluid is directed to and from said cooling system.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3, including means for directing air under pressure into said hood downwardly against the coloring material discharged into said hood by the feeding means at its discharge outlet.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20,828 Powell Aug. 16, 1938 121,588 Chichester Dec. 5, 1871 554,562 Williams Feb. 11, 1896 722,812 Cogswell Mar. 17, 1903 1,399,046 Bowman Dec. 6, 1921 p 1,492,013 Barks Apr. 29, 1924 1,542,647 Sparks June 30, 1925 1,992,994 Delpech Mar. 5, 1935 2,212,358 Weekley Aug. 20, 1940 2,624,475 Henry et al Jan. 6, 1953 2,658,743 Speil et al Nov. 10, 1953 Y 

